About Dig DC and DCPL Special Collections

Dig DC is your web portal for selected digitized and born-digital items from DC Public Library Special Collections. It is built on the digital asset management system CONTENTdm.

DCPL Special Collections include the Washingtoniana collections and the Black Studies Center at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in downtown Washington, D.C. and the Peabody Room at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library.

The Washingtoniana Collections

The Washingtoniana Collection was established in 1905 when Library Director, Dr. George F. Bowerman, had the foresight to start collecting books and articles about the local community. Washingtoniana houses an array of resources and materials from the late 18th century to the present, with a primary focus on the local, rather than federal, city. The D.C. Community Archives were founded in 1980 and include archival collections documenting the social, political, and cultural history of D.C.

The Peabody Room

Named in honor of 19th century merchant, banker & philanthropist George Peabody (1795-1869), the Peabody Room houses books, photographs, maps & manuscripts related to Georgetown neighborhood history. It includes subject vertical files photographs, maps, neighborhood microfilmed newspapers, paintings, engravings and artifacts that document various aspects of Georgetown life. Following a devastating 2007 fire that heavily damaged the Georgetown Neighborhood Library and some of the Peabody collections, the Peabody room reopened to the public in 2010.

The Black Studies Center

When the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library opened in 1972, a major new Black Studies collection was already in place. Today, the Black Studies Center consists primarily of a 15,000 volume monographic book collection that focuses on the African-American experience in the U.S. The book collection also includes limited titles on Africa and people of African descent (history, literature, culture) from other parts of the world.